Wonders of Competition
by GrayPlume
Summary: A hot day in the WAA leaves Athena with nothing to do but mope about the heat. But when an opportunity for simple relief presents itself, she must face off against her partner Apollo to see who gets to reap the benefits. But just how far is she willing to go to achieve her objective? Rated T for some minor sexual elements


Wow, so here's one of my first attempts at writing fan fiction. I finished up Dual Destines a few weeks ago and absolutely loved the chemistry between Athena and Apollo. As a result, I felt it was necessary for me to take a crack at a piece of fan fiction to share my love for the two. As of now, this story is a one-shot and I've writing the ending so that it could remain a one show, but here's the thing. I do have several possible chapter ideas in mind if I ever wanted to expand the story, but I want audience feedback to give me an opinion on whether or not I should continue with it. Also, any traditional replies, criticisms and reviews are welcomed as well, so without further ado, let's get on with the story.

**Edit:** Apparently somewhere between finishing the piece and uploading some words were emitted from the story for whatever reason. Whoops! Well, I've fixed the errors that were brought to my attention, but if anyone sees anything else, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll gladly fix it.

* * *

The natural heat hanging in the air ran amuck throughout the bustling town on this particular afternoon. While folks were usually out with no regards to the weather, this heat wave was particularly damaging in the fact that everyone seems to avoid going outside altogether unless there was a valid enough reason for their embark to the outside. As a result, the newest member of a certain law firm and talent agency was forced to stay indoors, unhappily gazing through the window.

"It's way too hot for me to be stuck up in this office! I need to move!" she yelled to no one in particular. She would have taken the free time to go for a jog around the block or something, but she decided against it. Not only was the heat murder, but also Mr. Wright had promised to take her out on part of his investigation once he returned, and considering the fact she was still a rookie, she didn't want to pass up that opportunity by being absent. So for now she was stuck in a humid building with nothing to do but sit around. Sit around and mope_. _

_There has to be some way to beat this heat_. She looked around the office and saw nothing out of the ordinary; the couch miscellaneously cluttered with magic props and court files, a spotless bathroom (thanks to the efforts of Apollo and her), and Charlie, who looked desperate for a drink of water.

_Wait, that's not good_! _How could I forget to water Charlie on a day like this?!_ Her realization to the oversight was enough to make her jump of her seat and run to the fridge for the water pitcher. If there was one thing that was preached to her by her superiors in the WAA, it was that Charlie was to be considered as family, and family certainly didn't get left dehydrated during a heat wave!

Quickly grabbing the water pitcher from the office fridge, she jumped to the plant with amazing agility. It probably wasn't necessary for her to grab the entire pitcher and drench the contents haphazardly onto the houseplant, but Athena was one to act on impulse when it came to "family" matters; if it got the job done in a satisfactory manner, then it was a good tactic in her eyes. Charlie certainly looked much better off after the refreshing hit of water. In fact, she started to think that a cool glass of water would refresh her spirits as well. However, looking down at her hands to the empty pitcher, she realized her "good tactic" now left her without any cold water for herself.

_Drat, and I forgot to make ice cubes too, didn't I? _Despite knowing the answer to that question already, she thought she'd check the freezer out just the same, so after refilling the water pitcher and placing it back in the fridge, she opened the freezer side to scavenge for any signs of ice.

No ice. Not surprising, but still a bit disappointing. In fact, the whole freezer was a disappointment. There was nothing in it but a bag of frozen carrots! Admitting defeat, Athena was about ready to close the freezer door when she noticed something, something white and shiny, sticking out behind the carrot bag. Upon further inspection, the object appeared to be a godsend on this glorious day, a Popsicle.

"Heck yeah, this beats out water by a long shot!" She hastily grabbed the Popsicle from the freezer and was quick to hold it up to the ceiling light to get a look at the flavor inside. "Awesome, it's orange flavored! Wait, what's this?"

Only noticing it now, the opposite side of the wrapper was covered in something black. Turning it around revealed ink from a permanent marker, ink that spelled an unmistakable name- Apollo.

_Crap, he's already claimed this? No fair! _She looked around the office again slyly and saw that nothing had changed; she still appeared to be alone. _Well, what if I were to ignore it? I could always play dumb if he questions me about it. _She grabbed the top end of the wrapper and was about to pull at it with all of her might. _Sweet, cool, orangey relief, here I co-_

"What are you doing?"

The sudden sound was enough to make her jump and almost drop the ice treat. She couldn't recall the last time she was so startled to hear a sound! Turning around, embarrassed and with the Popsicle now firmly grasped in her hand, she saw the one person that she prayed her gaze wouldn't reveal.

"Oh, um, hey Apollo," she was trying to play it cool. "I didn't realize you were in today."

"It's Tuesday, why wouldn't I be in?" He pulled a bucket of cleaning supplies from behind him and placed it back into the office closet. "I was just in the back cleaning the office bathroom. Though I guess a better question to ask would be 'what exactly are you holding in your hand, Athena'?"

"Oh, um, nothing really," she nervously chuckled, "I was just about to enjoy this here Popsicle, ha ha ha!"

"Really? Then why are you so nervous?"

Obviously, she was failing at playing it cool. "Well you see I'm just not so sure about this here wrapper. Darn thing is so tricky to open, ya know? It's like, who are they trying to keep out with the-"

"That's my Popsicle, isn't it Athena?"

_Crap, he's on to me!_ "No, it's not your popsicle, Apollo!" She held up the wrapper to his face, strategically covering up the writing sans one letter. "See! It has an 'A' on it. 'A' for Athena!"

"…Really?" The look that Apollo gave her with that statement was one of pure exasperation, crossing his arms to complete the message.

"Ok fine, you caught me! It's your popsicle!" She pulled the wrapper out of his face, "but come one, it's a hot day and it's the only thing in the office that could cool me down!"

"And you think you're the only one who's affected by the heat?" he started walking towards her and placed his hand on the ice treat, "Why do you think I wrote my name on the wrapper?" He quickly grabbed the ice treat and pulled it away from Athena, who wasn't too pleased by that action.

"But you don't even like orange!"

"That isn't true! I just prefer cherry, that's all." He started fiddling with the wrapper now and managed to get a slight tear at the top.

_This isn't good! What else could I use to cool me off in this heat?_ Apollo now had the ice treat completely out of the wrapper_. I can't let him have the Popsicle that easily…_

"I challenge you!"

Apollo, with the Popsicle now mere inches away from his mouth, turned around to see Athena, clenching her fists and now staring at him with a look of pure determination on her face. "Excuse me?"

"I said, I challenge you, Apollo Justice!" She unclenched her fists and fiercely pointed to the ice treat. "Winner gets the popsicle."

Apollo couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "you're kidding, right?"

"I don't kid when it comes to competitions." She still was pointing as fiercely as ever. "Rock Paper Scissors. Best two out of three."

A few seconds went by where Apollo didn't say anything, merely observing the yellow attorney in her state of declaration. Then, with a small grin forming, he turned to her. "Alright, I accept your challenge."

* * *

Despite how ridiculous he thought the request was, Apollo had to admire her determination. The fierce glint in her unflinching eyes, her outstretched finger, and even the positions of her legs aided in giving her a look of pure fortitude. In fact, he even thought that her determined poses and gestures made her look sort of endearing. Regardless, he had no intention of losing the Popsicle, especially after he learned of what game Athena proposed they play. "So do you just want to throw down or what?"

"No, we have to do this properly." Athena spoke with enthusiasm as she pulled out two wheelie chairs from the desks at the office and rolled one over to Apollo. "We sit in these chairs and place the Popsicle in the middle of us. That way, no one can run off with it while the other is throwing down."

Grabbing the chair, he couldn't help but sigh at Athena's proposal. "Don't you think this is a bit much for one Popsicle?

"Andale, Apollo, Andale! " She smacked the base of the chair, the vigor of which spoke as a sign to quit chatting and take a seat already. _She must really want that Popsicle…_

Apollo sat and adjusted himself in the chair and turned to face Athena. Her eyes were locked onto his, ready to tackle so much more than a standard round of Rock Paper Scissors. He still couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Ready to lose, Justice?"

"I don't think I'll be the one losing this time, Cykes." He placed his right fist into his left, preparing for the sudden showdown. "Reveal on go?"

"Reveal on go." She held he hand in a similar manner to his.

"Rock!"

"Paper!"

"Scissors!"

"Go!"

As the two attorneys began to throw their hands down for the showdown, Apollo turned his eyes ever so slightly and noticed that Athena's hand was moving into a position to flatten itself. _She's going to throw down paper. _In quick response, he countered her paper with a scissors formation, a small grin forming on the fact that he won the first round.

"Drat!" Athena was clearly upset about the lost, her scowl enhancing that frustration. "Beginner's luck."

Luck had nothing to do with it. Ever since Apollo was a kid he was an expert at rock paper scissors. He believed it to be a side effect of his perceive ability, as he was always capable of seeing the movements of the opponent's hand to see what move they had chosen before it was revealed. As a result, he'd never lost a game. It might have been a bit unethical, especially when used in a competition, but he concluded that this was hardly a game of high risks. _Besides, that Popsicle was mine in the first place._

"Ready for round 2, Cykes?"

"Bring it, Justice."

Unsurprising to Apollo, he won that round as well, countering her rock with a paper. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he saw the look on Athena's face, a mixture of disappointment and frustration. "Serves you right for trying to steal from me."

"No fair, Apollo! You had to have cheated!" She obviously wasn't going to take losing lightly.

"How could I have cheated at Rock Paper Scissors?" He knew she couldn't have read his mind, but he couldn't help but jump at that accusation.

"Your heart. Something in your heart just jumped when I accused you, Apollo," she spoke with a new determination, like she found a way to turn the situation in her favor. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

_Damn, how could I forget about her hearing?! Err, maybe if I play it cool I can let it slide. _"You know how ridiculous you sound right now? How is cheating at Rock Paper Scissors possible?"

She stared at him for a good moment or two before falling lost in thought. Something was concocting in her head and it was unnerving to say the least. _She's going to hurt me, isn't she? _However, when she finally spoke, Apollo was surprised at her calm response, "I guess you're right."

"Oh, um, yeah I am!" _That was too close._ He pulled the Popsicle out of its wrapper and placed it in his mouth. _Eh, orange. I need to restock on cherry. _

"A race."

He almost missed her comment, but proceeded to pull the ice treat out of his mouth anyway. "I beg your pardon?"

"A race. I challenge you to a race around the office for the rest of that popsicle." She looked as fired up as ever.

_This girl doesn't know when to quit._ "Are you insane, Athena?! It's 100 degrees out there! And not to mention that you know I can't outrun you, even on a good day."

"Chicken, Apollo?" She got the biggest grin on her face with that comment. He, however, only gained a face of pure annoyance.

"I told you, don't call me chicken. And you can't change my mind about racing you." He placed the Popsicle back into his mouth and walked away, content with his victory. That is, he was about to walk away until someone swiped the ice treat from his mouth. "Hey!"

He turned around and saw Athena happily licking away on the Popsicle, oblivious to the fact that was in his mouth moments ago. "Mmm, orange. Refreshing!"

"Athena!"

"Ya snooze, ya lose, Apollo!" She continued to lick away happily.

_Oh, and _I'm_ the cheat! _"You're gonna pay for that!"

As soon as Athena closed her eyes to enjoy another lick, Apollo snatched the Popsicle back from her and forcibly placed it back in his mouth. _Ehhg, this feels a bit weird._ He forgot the fact that the Popsicle was covered in Athena saliva, and it was a bit awkward at first, but he managed to look past that once he recalled the fact that on more than one occasion, he's caught her drinking out of the agency's orange juice carton whenever there was any in the fridge. _I bet it's no different then drinking out of that carton once she's had her share._ He continued to suck the ice treat.

"No fair!" She immediately recoiled and jumped at him, "give it back!"

"No way, it's mine!"

The Popsicle exchange went on for a good while. As soon as Athena would grab the ice treat from Apollo's grasp and get a few licks in, Apollo would just as quickly take it back and sneak in a few licks of his own. As time went on and the brawl for the treat intensified (to the point that Athena was standing on a wheelie chair and nearly fell when Apollo jumped at her all for the sake of keeping it), the Popsicle slowly diminished in size until it barely clung to the wooden stick. At this point, Apollo made one last steal for it and successfully managed to steal it back, and with a quick reflex, bit the remaining glob off of the stick.

"Hahahahahaha, it's mine now!" Apollo was clearly pleased that he managed to win the Popsicle (or what remained of it, anyway) and decided to taunt the envious Athena a bit by sticking out a small portion from his mouth. That's when she made her final move and stuck her lips right smack onto Apollo's mouth.

To say that he was caught off guard would be the understatement of the century. Her lips, though forceful in sucking the orange glob from his mouth, were delicate as they laid on his, a delicate feeling that sent a shiver down his spine and a blush on his face. The gob between them may have been cold, but the warmth of her breath mixed with his easily distracted him from that fact. He even swore that as the Popsicle melted he could feel traces of her tongue playing in his mouth trying to grab any remains of the ice treat left. It tickled a bit, but the tickling only seemed to arouse him more. It was an odd sensation, but one he didn't mind partaking in. But why? _This couldn't be just for a stupid Popsicle, could it?_

Their embrace lasted for a little while after the Popsicle melted but just as Athena was the first to initiate the kiss, she terminated it just as swiftly with a quick jump away from Apollo, who was now hot, stunned, and a shade of red that could rival his suit.

"That was refreshing! Perfect solution for a hot afternoon," she exclaimed with moxie and complete ignorance to what had taken place only seconds before.

_Amazing. _Apollo felt that he couldn't catch his breath. Hot and flustered as ever, he fell back into one of the wheelie chairs, all without taking his eyes off of Athena, who continued to celebrate by jumping joyously around. _Simply amazing._ He could have stayed in that position of pure wonder forever if the opening of the door behind him didn't break him from his trance.

* * *

"We're back!"

A blue attorney accompanied by his magician daughter opened the office doors to find a scene of office wheelie chairs scattered in the middle of the room along with his subordinates, one who was joyously jumping while the other shook his head after staring into space. "Uh, what did we miss?"

"Oh, hi boss!" Athena quickly hopped to attention and ran to greet Mr. Wright properly. "We weren't doing much. Apollo and I were just having some friendly competition to see who got the last Popsicle in the freezer. I won." That last statement was accompanied by a peace sign Athena was known for flashing.

"Oh, really?" Phoenix looked around the chaotic state of the room and sighed. "Looks like a lot of ruckus for one popsicle."

"Oh, it was arousing, wasn't it, Apollo?" She put some emphasize on arousing, and looked straight at Apollo waiting for a response. Instead of a vocal reply, he proceeded to look down at his legs and immediately threw his arms on his crotch, turning away from the others and pulling the wheelie chair to a far corner of the office. Phoenix swore he turned redder than he was when he walked in, a fact not overlooked by his daughter.

"Polly, are you alright? Your skin looks like a tomato."

All the red attorney managed to mutter out were a few incoherent mumblings, still refusing to look in their general direction.

"Oh, he's just upset that he lost the bet and is red after shouting about it a bit," Athena piped in, "you know how grumpy he can get, Truce."

"Boy ain't that the truth."

The two girls exchanged a laugh while Phoenix continued to observe Apollo's position, which remained unchanged for as long as he observed. _Do I really want to know what took place while I was gone?_

"Hey by the way, Boss!" Athena interrupted his train of thought with her outburst, "are you ready to take me investigating for the case now?! Cause I've never been so stoked in my life!" She clenched her fists in excitement.

"Hold you horses, tiger," Phoenix chuckled at his subordinate's enthusiasm. "Yeah, that's why I came back to the office after picking Trucy up. Just grab your purse and whatever you need and we'll be on our way."

"All right!" She ran to the desk and swiped her purse as to not waste any precious investigating time. However, she did make one quick detour on her way back to the door and leaned in close to Apollo's ear, delivering a message that easily made him jolt from his spot.

Phoenix was more confused than ever. "Uh, what exactly did you tell him?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just that he needs to stop by the store to pick up some supplies for the office."

_That's a terrible lie, Athena. It's way too hot to go today_. Phoenix knew a bluff when he heard one, but he couldn't exactly call her out on it. Not only did he promise not to use the magatama on his underlings after the Phantom trial, but also in the end, it really wasn't his place to pry on what went on between the two of them. _I guess as long as it doesn't distract either of them from their work._

* * *

_That's what you get for perceiving in our game of rock paper scissors, Justice. _

Those were the words that Athena whispered to him right before she left with Mr. Wright, and boy were they enough unnerve Apollo even more so than he was. She'd realize Apollo's specialty in Rock Paper Scissors and instead of calling him out on it, she used that fact to fuel her competitive nature even more. She had planned out the entire Popsicle façade and anticipated his every move, deciphering his every weakness. And as a result? He was made a fool in front of his co-workers, cowering in a corner flustered by heated emotions and desperately trying to calm down the excitement between his legs.

_What are you, a damn teenager again, Justice?! This is embarrassing! _He cursed at himself every insult he could think of, ashamed of his current state. How could he let himself fall this low in professionalism, and so easily as well? It was simply embarrassing! But no matter how hard he tried to relax and calm down his emotions, he couldn't find himself able to, as all thoughts and distractions eventually lead back to the girl responsible for this entire charade and her devious kiss.

It could be considered a kiss, right? It certainly involved all the elements to one. Lip locking, a long embrace, tongue swapping… AUGH, this wasn't going to help him make sense of his emotions and calm him down! If anything, he was getting more aroused reimagining the encounter. _But why?! Why did she do it?!_ Was it purely to get her hands on the Popsicle and to make him an emotional wreck? Or could it possibly mean more?

_Ugh, why do I care so damn much about this?! It was her competitive nature at work, nothing more! _He tried to tell himself that her competitive streak was the sole influencer of her actions, but deep down in his conscious, he wished it were something else entirely. Truth be told, despite the circumstances leading to the kiss, he enjoyed everything about it. It was warm, it was riveting, and best of all, it was with an enchanting individual. Yes, for a while now, Apollo had been secretly thinking to himself that he found Athena to be enchanting in every way, and this charm seemed to increase each day. Her looks, her personality, her ambitions, every day in her company seemed to reveal a new fact about her that would inevitably cause him to stare at her with a look of blissful wonder. Sometimes he wasn't even aware of his staring habit, but stare he did, and each moment of wonder that he found himself a part of helped to build up the undeniable truth that laid dormant in his being until now; he wanted Athena Cykes. He wanted her bad. It was becoming more evident now that the reason he cared so much about the nature of the kiss was not because he was embarrassed, but because he was convinced that the nature of it meant that she didn't view him in the same wonder that he saw her in.

"Hey Polly, are you doing alright? You've been moping in that corner for a while now?"

The sudden shock of Trucy's concerned voice was enough to jolt Apollo back to his senses away from his thoughts. He realized he had lost track of time and upon looking at a desk clock, learned that he had been sitting in the corner calming his emotions for over 40 minutes (and with some success. He now had a new sense of understanding and doubt, but hey, at least he wasn't hard). _No wonder she was so concerned_. "Yeah, Truce, I'm doing just fine. Thanks for checking up on me."

"Don't mention it," she gave him a reassuring smile, "also as a fair warning, I'm going to be practicing a new trick in the other room for a while, so don't try to disrupt me unless you absolutely have to, got it?"

"Hehe, sure thing." At least that got rid of the issue of having Trucy bug him for more details about the incident between Athena and him. As she walked towards the back room with her magic supplies, he thought again about the uncertainty of his standing with Athena. He knew that he wanted to relive that moment, that moment of embrace, but would he ever be able to? Ugh, he couldn't waste time wondering about that! He'd be back sitting in the office corner in no time. No, it'd be best to distract himself for now, perhaps take care of some work around the office before Mr. Wright returned. But what to do?

He could always do paperwork. But at that moment, paperwork sounded like the least appealing thing in the world. Perhaps he could do more chores around the office. Looking around, the only thing he could possibly find that would need reorganization or cleaning were the wheelie chairs, and those hardly required any effort to put back. The toilet was cleaned, Charlie was watered, and everything in the WAA was taken care of and accounted for. It was disappointing.

_Now what am I supposed to do? Just as he was ready to _crouch back into a chair and mope about Athena once more, he recalled the conversation Athena had with Mr. Wright right before they left:

_"'Uh, what exactly did you tell him?'_

_ 'Oh, nothing really. Just that he needs to stop by the store to pick up some supplies for the office.'"_

The store! That's it! He jumped from his chair, grabbed his keys and wallets, called to Trucy to let her be aware of his whereabouts and bolted out of the door to the store. He was unsure of anything that the office needed in regards to supplies. He would do his best to guess at that when he got to the store. But a visit to the store at least opened Apollo up to a source that he could channel his emotions in, one that he would be happy to settle with indefinitely.

He would go to the store and purchase some Popsicles. And they would be orange flavored.


End file.
